Pineapples and Jello Have you ever wondered why you cannot make pineapple Jell-O with fresh pineapples? The essential component of such deserts is gelatin, a protein that is commonly extracted from animal skin or bones. It has a remarkable ability for binding water and setting up a gel. But raw pineapple contains an enzyme known as papain that rapidly degrades protein and breaks down the gel. But what is not good for the goose may be good for the gander! Papain can effectively tenderize tough meat by decomposing protein molecules and is available commercially for this purpose. If you must have pineapple Jell-O, you can make it from canned pineapple. The canning process destroys papain. In the 1980s, doctors tried papain injections to alleviate back pain caused by swollen disks hoping that breaking down proteins in the disk would alleviate swelling. A good idea, but it didn’t work well.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 03:12:31 +0000
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